Ok, so I'm back. I wanted to let you all know that I cultured positive for strep. But I don't exactly know what that means. Don't we all have strep in there? Is it something that needs to be treated?

I also wanted to mention that I've been on the Flagyl for 11 days now and the fatigue is damn near unbearable. My arms feel like they're going numb and I'm so weak. I'm assuming this is a very bad sign and I should probably stop taking it.

You went to your doctor, and the doctor found strep? I found some information on a website, read the link below. Maybe you can contact this website and ask them for some advice. You will probably get more advice from them then from a doctor. I mean, didn't your doctor tell you how to treat it? Also, you being on Flagyl for that long, with the side effects that you are feeling is worrying. I would stop taking it if I were you. Maybe it works for some people, but what if it isn't agreeing with you? I have a question, how much of the Flagyl are you taking? I was reading somewhere that the quantity of Flagyl isn't as important as the frequency. So taking it every day, but taking less would be as effective.

[ There are two main types of bacterial vaginal infections, a general mixed bacteria infection called bacterial vaginosis (BV) and a streptococcal bacterial vaginosis. Either one of them can be associated with complications for a pregnant woman. BV can lead to preterm labor and delivery. Streptococcal vaginitis can do the same and, in addition, it can cause an infection in the newborn baby. This is a very serious infection and about 4% of babies who get this infection die and the ones who survive have other serious infections in the brain, lung and bone.

What is a streptococcal vaginosis?

Vaginosis caused by streptococcus presents as a creamy, white discharge. There is not usually a burning of the vulva as there is with yeast infection and the discharge is not very odorous like a bacterial vaginosis. If the doctor looks at the discharge under a microscope, there are no white blood cells and no lactobacilli, the normal bacteria of the vagina.

There are several streptococcal species that can be present in the vagina, group A, B and D strep. About 70% of strep vaginosis is due to group B and about 30% are due to group D. Group A infections are rare.

Strep vaginosis can occur spontaneously but very often it is caused by the antibiotic treatment given for bacterial vaginosis. Metronidazole (Flagyl®) is the usual treatment for BV but it does not treat strep, therefore an overgrowth of streptococcus frequently occurs. This is such a problem that one vaginal cream, clindamycin vaginal cream, which was frequently used for bacterial vaginosis during pregnancy, is no longer approved because it results in a strep vaginosis. Oral clindamycin is still approved for bacterial vaginosis and there is no evidence that it produces a strep overgrowth.

Did your dotor tell you what the name was of the strain of the strep b he found...I think there is several group b's (not sure). I do know I'm a carrier of strepoccuccos group b (not sure if that is how it is spelled)..researchers still don't know a lot about that strain (imagine that)...from the little information that I have read. Is the strep b you have the same that causes strep throat or another?

I just found some info on a website:'Is group B strep the same as strep throat?

No. Strep throat is caused by group A streptococcus bacteria. Group A and group B streptococcus are different kinds of bacteria. They both belong to the same family, but they are different species.'

Ok, so I'm back. I wanted to let you all know that I cultured positive for strep. But I don't exactly know what that means. Don't we all have strep in there? Is it something that needs to be treated?

I also wanted to mention that I've been on the Flagyl for 11 days now and the fatigue is damn near unbearable. My arms feel like they're going numb and I'm so weak. I'm assuming this is a very bad sign and I should probably stop taking it.

Did your dotor tell you what the name was of the strain of the strep b he found...I think there is several group b's (not sure). I do know I'm a carrier of strepoccuccos group b (not sure if that is how it is spelled)..researchers still don't know a lot about that strain (imagine that)...from the little information that I have read. Is the strep b you have the same that causes strep throat or another?

I do know that I was treated with antibotics for the strain I mentioned above before both of the delivery's of my children..and my seven year old has had strep throat several times this year, (and in the past) and suffers from chronic ear infections...and he isn't as responsive to antibotics as he should be... I'm gonna start giving him probotics too..because he has been on antibotics so many times ...he has diahahea(sp) often at least 3 times a week and gets headaches (at least once a month) that hurt him so bad he gets sick to his stomach.. his doctors aren't concerned about it , however I am. (well he is on the states insurance though too)

I have to take him to the doctor today, again, like every month. (Get nasty letters from his school about his attendance.)

Ok, so I'm back. I wanted to let you all know that I cultured positive for strep. But I don't exactly know what that means. Don't we all have strep in there? Is it something that needs to be treated?

I also wanted to mention that I've been on the Flagyl for 11 days now and the fatigue is damn near unbearable. My arms feel like they're going numb and I'm so weak. I'm assuming this is a very bad sign and I should probably stop taking it.

To prevent this staff infection from happening again (I dont know if you may want to inform your doctor that you were using the hydrogen perioxide) maybe you should discontinue it and look into other products. It just sounds so very scary to me because if he prescribed all that medicine for you it must be serious. Also, try giving your vagina a break after this episode by not inserting anything in it for a while. I went a whole month without inserting anything(It may be easier said than done since I currently have been bv free but try it). GET WELL....

I agree with bvgirl. Don't look into other products, but really give your vagina a break. I think you should absolutely inform your doctor about the garlic, HP, etc. that you've been using if you haven't already - give your doctor a full picture so s/he can have even 1/2 a chance to figure out what's going on.

I think your doctor gave you all those antibiotics because he suspects an active infection, esp. since your cervix is inflamed. Or is it just for the staph? In any case, let the antibiotics do their thing, and don't use any products in your vagina.

Make sure to continue taking your probiotics, though! And please share your culture results with us when you get them.

I finally made it in to the doctor. I had managed to kill the bv before hand unfournately. (garlic cloves) He did a culture though, so I'm still awaiting word as to what all he found. I did have a staff infection from the overkill of hydrogen perioxide...I guess..

He prescribed to me two antibotics..one being cephalexin (3500 mg) 4 times a day AND? Levaquin first dose 750 mg then 500 mg ( 4 days total). I'm a little concerned being that he doesnt even know what is in my culture yet so why all these antibotics? He said my cervix were inflammed too. Has anyone been one this combo or does anyone have any advice or concerns..

You all will be pleased to know that I found a website that I can ask my crazy science questions too! I just have to wait up to 2 weeks ..(or so they say) lol.

I really have to say that it sounds to me what the doctor prescribed to you is a very large amount of antibiotic. I am sorry you are dealing with a staff infection. How much of the hydrogen perioxide were you using to treat the bv? To prevent this staff infection from happening again (I dont know if you may want to inform your doctor that you were using the hydrogen perioxide) maybe you should discontinue it and look into other products. It just sounds so very scary to me because if he prescribed all that medicine for you it must be serious. Also, try giving your vagina a break after this episode by not inserting anything in it for a while. I went a whole month without inserting anything(It may be easier said than done since I currently have been bv free but try it). GET WELL....

I finally made it in to the doctor. I had managed to kill the bv before hand unfournately. (garlic cloves) He did a culture though, so I'm still awaiting word as to what all he found. I did have a staff infection from the overkill of hydrogen perioxide...I guess..

He prescribed to me two antibotics..one being cephalexin (3500 mg) 4 times a day AND? Levaquin first dose 750 mg then 500 mg ( 4 days total). I'm a little concerned being that he doesnt even know what is in my culture yet so why all these antibotics? He said my cervix were inflammed too. Has anyone been one this combo or does anyone have any advice or concerns..

You all will be pleased to know that I found a website that I can ask my crazy science questions too! I just have to wait up to 2 weeks ..(or so they say) lol.

The nuvaring is not a good idea, in my opinion. Having anything in your vagina, that is already prone to infections, seems like it would just breed more bacteria. How many studies did you find with that info? I have heard that the nuvaring increases vaginal infections, especially yeast infections, because unlike oral birth control, it delivers the hormones to the vagina directly and can therefore throw off the balance of things. I think I remember one person on here trying it and it didn't really change anything. So I guess it's worth a shot but I've heard bad things.

I agree with you. I've previously cited studies which showed that diaphragms also increase chances of BV - I do think it might be because of having a foreign body in your vagina might throw off your balance - or that you're introducing bacteria into the vagina when you're putting it in and taking it out. (This is why I was not keen on the diva cup.)

The nuvaring is not a good idea, in my opinion. Having anything in your vagina, that is already prone to infections, seems like it would just breed more bacteria. How many studies did you find with that info? I have heard that the nuvaring increases vaginal infections, especially yeast infections, because unlike oral birth control, it delivers the hormones to the vagina directly and can therefore throw off the balance of things. I think I remember one person on here trying it and it didn't really change anything. So I guess it's worth a shot but I've heard bad things.

The nuvaring is not a good idea, in my opinion. Having anything in your vagina, that is already prone to infections, seems like it would just breed more bacteria. How many studies did you find with that info? I have heard that the nuvaring increases vaginal infections, especially yeast infections, because unlike oral birth control, it delivers the hormones to the vagina directly and can therefore throw off the balance of things. I think I remember one person on here trying it and it didn't really change anything. So I guess it's worth a shot but I've heard bad things.

hey ladies. i was just doing some reasearch on the nuvaring. because i was talking to my friend about how i'm always forgetting to take my pills and then i get spotting and it's just annoying. so she mentioned how she's on the nuvaring and how it's really low hormones and you don't have to remember anything. so then i was thinking about it but then i was thinking i don't know if it's a good idea to have something in there if i have a problem with bv, what if it makes it worse.

"A small percentage of women complain of vaginal irritation when using the ring. And some ring users report more vaginal wetness, although a study found that this increase in discharge was harmless and did not lead to problems such as yeast infections. (In fact, new research suggests that the ring may boost the production of beneficial bacteria in the vagina and reduce the chance of an infection called bacterial vaginosis.)"

so i was just wondering if anyone has tried the nuvaring or if anyone knows anything about it? thanks!! hope everyone is doing ok. i'm still doing great with the yeast arrest.

and bvgirl thanks for your info, sorry if i asked you that question already.

Thanks CanCan! I think Zinc is very important also and I think it could help BV but the only problem is how do you place it in the vagina. Do you put a tablet down there or do you buy a gel? If I still had BV I would try it but I'm ok downstairs. If anyone tries this let me know how it works out.

ZincBenefits & Deficiency Symptoms Zinc is considered an antioxidant. Zinc is also a natural antibacterial and anti-viral mineral. Zinc is found in all body fluids: therefore Zinc is a front line defense against infection-causing bacteria and viruses trying to enter the body. Zinc stops the replication process of the virus or bacteria. Those body fluids containing the most water also contain the most Zinc. Examples of such body fluids are tears, mucous, saliva and urine.

Zinc must be in proper balance to assist over 25 enzymatic functions, including digestion, metabolism, and reproduction. Often food processing removes all Zinc from the food we eat. Without Zinc in our diets, the proper assimilation of vitamins is nearly impossible.

Normal growth and development of young people is very dependent upon Zinc. The normal maintenance of body tissue, sexual functions, and chemical detoxification are all closely related to the amount of Zinc in the body. Zinc is also very important in the workings of the immune system and the synthesis of DNA in our cells. Recovery time after a major surgery is greatly decreased when the body contains the proper amount of Zinc.

I think it's a good idea to take a zinc supplement in your diet. Especially if you think that you have hormone related Bacterial Vaginosis. Or if you think you have estrogen dominance. I was just reading something that said that most people nowadays have estrogen dominance anyway. Phytoestrogens are chemicals in plants that behave like estrogens in humans. Phytoestrogens block zinc, magnesium, and iodine from being absorbed by the body. I looked at the list of foods that have phytoestrogens in them, and I was surprised to see that I eat some of those foods all the time. Garlic, apple, soybean, tofu, soy milk, alfalfa, flaxseed, carrot, squash, evening primrose oil, chamomile, milk thistle. And there are more, but these are the ones that I have in my diet. Soy milk I have multiple times a week. Sometimes every day. And estrogen levels in the body parallel copper levels. The birth control pill, IUD's, smoking, eating estrogen rich foods, using estrogen vaginal creams, menopause, etc. can raise copper levels. If you have too much copper, you don't have enough zinc. So you need to make sure you eat foods with zinc in it, or take a zinc supplement. Or cut back on high copper foods.

We need adequate zinc to heal the BV. In fact, if you have BV, you probably are low in zinc. Some women here are taking estrogen creams to help with the vaginal dryness. This will raise copper levels as well because some of the estrogen will pass through the vaginal walls into your bloodstream. Doctors sometimes prescribe progesterone cream to balance this out. Estrogen dominance can result from not necessarily too much estrogen, but too low progesterone. Using a progesterone cream apparently helps with vaginal dryness as well, but takes longer to work. And you can use it intravaginal for faster treatment, just like you would estrogen, but I haven't tried this yet.

After doing all of this reading non-stop for the past month, my conclusion is that I should have all of my blood work done. I want all of my hormone levels measured. I made an appointment with an endocrinologist for the middle of June. I think that a lot of these BV cases are somehow connected to our hormones. And yes, you can have a hormone imbalance even if you are a young woman. I know all the virgins out there will agree with me that they aren't going through menopause either.

I am so sure that I have a estrogen dominance problem, that I started taking progesterone cream last month. I did one complete cycle of it. And I feel so much better - that I decided to not take it for my next cycle, just wait to see a doctor for an official report. If I am taking these hormone creams, I am concerned that it will throw off my test results. And I don't want to be accidentally taking the wrong cream. I feel more relaxed now, knowing that I will hopefully have some answers soon to this problem. I just hope this doctor knows what she is doing.

OK, who wants to be the guinea pig? LOL! I've been reading a lot about zinc and I was wondering, has anyone ever tried zinc vaginally?

I googled the whole 'vaginal zinc' idea this weekend, and lo-and-behold, yes, labs are trying that already, and doing testing. I guess that makes sense, since zinc is good for healing. And that it is being used already to fight infections topically. I have Desitin diaper rash cream here in my medicine cabinet, and I just pulled it out to read the ingredients: Zinc Oxide, BHA, cod liver oil, fragrance, lanolin, methylparaben, petrolatum, talc, water. O.k., I am going to guess that Neverending must mean using zinc as a douche or a tablet or something. I wouldn't use a cream, at least not this one, because it has oils that will clog the pores of your vagina, and prevent your natural secretion from coming out. Which is one of BV's problems, lack of moisture and lack of mucous. Maybe there is a zinc gel out there for this use already? In Europe, or Canada?

If someone is going to try using a vitamin tablet be very careful though, because I was reading something that made it sound like it is very tricky to do. It may work, but if the solution is too strong, your vaginal mucous lining will shed, which is what you do not want. I would experiment, but I don't know what the correct quantity of zinc would be to water. And I don't douche any more. Too scared to do that. But I would use a dropper of a zinc liquid, like some of us were doing with the hydrogen peroxide. You know, lying on your back, and just putting in half a dropper or so.

'...utility of zinc salts as microbicides and suggest that the application of zinc solutions to mucosal surfaces has the potential to cause damage that might increase susceptibility to secondary infections at a later time.' [http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=549274]

i agree with what bvgirl said in response to that. i've been using yeast arrest for a week and i had sex for the first time today (without a condom) in i can't even think of how long, and first of all it was the first time since last august that it didn't burn during sex. it actually felt good and normal. i am using the yeast arrest right now (i waited till it wasn't coming out of me anymore to have sex) and i'm fine still. i inserted one right after the sex. so i think from now on, even after i'm done with the yeast arrest every day, i will insert one after sex every time.

and bvgirl... are you still using the yeast arrest now? if not, how long did you use it and how long has it been since you used it. has the bv stayed away? it's working great for me right now, no smell or burning or anything at all, i'm just worried about what will happen once i stop using it.

I stated before that I need to purchase more and so I will in a few days but not due to the bv is back but because I think and I believe that many of us on here would agree that it is good to be on some kind of maintenance program with whatever product you have been using that works for you. I used yeast arrest for 21 days straight before stopping and I have been off of yeast arrest for a month and no smell although I thought I may have smelled it from time to time but it did not progress. I was to use it duing my periods and I did not but I will this next cycle. So bv smell has stayed away pretty much over a month. Of course, from time to time while I am not using the yeast arrest I feel uneasy because it could come back at any time but to say that I dont have to wear pads to cover up the smell or feeling uneasy at the gym because people may get a whiff of the bv...that has totally been off my plate not to deal with. I have not had those problems since I have been using yeast arrest. So I am feeling great about it and will continue to use it. Just understand that it may come back while you are off yeast arrest and so therefore it is a good idea to have it handy(I need to take my own advice huh lol)but like everyone knows here it is not a cure it just treats and so I am happy of the fact that it does at least that...

I read this article in my book called "prescription for nutrional healing" by phyliss Balch. "regarding yeast infections" . I can't help but to get excited when I find information that I think could possibly help someone here...so "my out there theory that yeast are causing this chronic bv.. can not be to "out there" for some of us.... I'm quoting what the book listed here....

Candida albicans, a single-celled fungus, is always present in the genital and intestinal tracts. If it is present in disproportionate quantities, , however, it can cause infection. Diaper rash, vaginitis, and thrush are SOME of the possible manifestations of candida infection.

Symtoms often worsen when in damp or moldy places.....Because of its MANY and VARIED symtoms, this disorder is OFTEN misdiagnosed. The debate continues as to whether candiasis exists in the body as the result, or the cause, of some immunologic diseases. I just bolded the ones that I have been dealing with. I think this article can at least raise some more questions for our doctors here.

I have a question to the ladies that are actually having luck in keeping their bv under control...Do most of you still have your mate wear a condom each time you have intercourse? Or is it possible that I may be able to enjoy sex in the future (when I do get mine under control) without having my partner wear a condom each time?

Thanks.

i agree with what bvgirl said in response to that. i've been using yeast arrest for a week and i had sex for the first time today (without a condom) in i can't even think of how long, and first of all it was the first time since last august that it didn't burn during sex. it actually felt good and normal. i am using the yeast arrest right now (i waited till it wasn't coming out of me anymore to have sex) and i'm fine still. i inserted one right after the sex. so i think from now on, even after i'm done with the yeast arrest every day, i will insert one after sex every time.

and bvgirl... are you still using the yeast arrest now? if not, how long did you use it and how long has it been since you used it. has the bv stayed away? it's working great for me right now, no smell or burning or anything at all, i'm just worried about what will happen once i stop using it.

I have a question to the ladies that are actually having luck in keeping their bv under control...Do most of you still have your mate wear a condom each time you have intercourse? Or is it possible that I may be able to enjoy sex in the future (when I do get mine under control) without having my partner wear a condom each time?

Thanks.

Well my honey is over in Iraq. So I am not having any intercourse but I can say this. It is suggested that a condom be worn because as you know sperm alters our ph also I have read where some condoms also may irritate and cause problems and or allergic reaction especially the ones with spermicides( you may want to research that more regarding condoms) and so with that being said if and when you decide to not wear a condom just understand that whatever product you use or have been using to fight bv you may need to use it after intercourse. I have been reading that a lot here that after intercourse you may get the bv smell and so you would have to use the product afterwards. I would say if you ask me my advice would be yes you should be able to enjoy sex without using a condom but just do not get upset if the bv is present after sex just know you will have to treat it. Many here have talked about this and I myself have read this to be true according to the ladies here.

I have a question to the ladies that are actually having luck in keeping their bv under control...Do most of you still have your mate wear a condom each time you have intercourse? Or is it possible that I may be able to enjoy sex in the future (when I do get mine under control) without having my partner wear a condom each time?